a. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a bed sheet with easily accessible side pockets. The bed sheet itself is a conventional fitted sheet having an elastic band circumferentially located on an outer perimeter of the bed sheet, and seams at the corners which form side panels. The pocket(s) are located on one or more side panels of the fitted sheet and designed for quick ingress and egress of objects from multiple closely located or co-located pockets.
b. Description of the Related Art
In the art there exists a variety of known bed sheets for mattresses. A sub-portion of these prior art bed sheets posses pockets and other similar mechanisms for the retention of objects. Prior art bed sheets with pockets use a variety of materials and means for securing the objects within the pocketed space.
Known prior art bed sheets are disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,152 to Wootten et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,422 to LeFevere et al., U.S. Design Pat. No. 471,049, U.S. Design Pat. No. 587,055, U.S. Design Pat. No. 537,286 and U.S. Design Pat. No. 481,899.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,152 to Wootten (“Wootten”) is directed to a bed sheet with a side pocket. The pocketed bed sheet includes a fabric body to substantially cover a mattress and a pocket provided on the fabric body. The pocket includes a wall to hold objects in the pocket and a diagonal fabric edge that defines a diagonal opening at an angle relative to an edge of the fabric body. FIG. 3 of Wootten shows a typical fitted sheet with material sewn on the outer surface of the bed sheet (i.e., a patch pocket). The opening of the patch pocket is a diagonal fabric opening at an angle relative to an edge of the fabric body. The pocket described is roughly rectangular in shape. The Wootten patent explains that side edge 34 may extend approximately one-half the length of the entire height of pocket 12 as defined by side edge 36. The top edge 38 may extend approximately one-half the length of the entire width of pocket 12 as defined by bottom 40. Corners 42, 44 of edges 34, 38, respectively, form a diagonal opening 46 defined by edge 48. Alternatively, FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment of the pocket with an approximately semi-circle to form a partially enclosed compartment. The edge 52 “form[s] ends for diagonal opening 46.” The Wootten patent, column 5, lines 3-8. As depicted in FIG. 4, the edge 52 begins along the top of the pocket at a point opposite a location about a third of the distance from a left bottom curve of the pocket. The edge 52 extends rightward from that point to then curve downward at a point about even with the right bottom corner of the pocket. The edge 52 continues downward and curves leftward to form a bottom of the pocket and returns upward to form the left end of the pocket. The Wootton patent describes that edge 48 of pockets 12, 12′ may include an elastic lining.
An obvious draw back of the pouches described by Wootton is that objects must be angled into a position matching the diagonal opening of the pocket. As such, ease of egress and ingress of objects is hampered by not only the pocket opening position, but placement of the pocket in general. More importantly, the designs of the pockets in Wootton prevent the use of multiple pockets that are co-located or serially located next to one another. It also makes it difficult to access the pockets if one is in a prone position on the bed.
Additionally, there is a need for others to access the pockets while not using it (i.e. while not in the prone position) on the bed. It is also necessary to have full access to the pocket interior for sanitary and observation reasons. The pockets as described in Wootton, fail to give total access to the interior of the pocket, The angled opening obscures the space directly adjacent to the opening. As such objects can not be located there if their dimensions exceed the pocket dimensions. Alternatively, if the objects are of small dimensions, a user may not be able to locate an object that has migrated to this space. Wootten thereby eliminates some of the usable pocket volume that it describes.
Another type of pocketed sheet is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,422 to LeFevere et al. (“LeFevere”). LeFevere is directed to an infant blanket that has mechanisms for attaching items to the blanket (e.g., small toys such as pacifiers, teethers, rattles) and describes two pockets 822, 823 sewn to the blanket for containing such items. LeFevere, column 6, lines 27-31; and FIG. 8. LeFevere, in FIG. 8 depicts each pocket being formed from an arcuate piece of material, where each pocket has one short side edge and an opposing, longer side edge. Each of the pockets 822, 823 is formed with an opening that extends at an angle from the upper end of the short side edge across the top of the pocket to the upper end of the opposing, longer side edge. Items can be placed into pockets 822, 823 at any angle from vertical to horizontal relative to the orientation of the pocket.
While the pocket sheet in LeFevere overcomes some of the drawbacks of the pouches disclosed by Wootton, the pockets of LeFevere still fail to point out multiple co-located pockets whose openings are angled so as to allow ease of ingress and egress as well as ease of locating specific pockets.
It would therefore be a benefit to provide a bed sheet having side pockets designed with substantially angled openings that are co-located with another opposite angled pocket opening, or parallel located next to one another. It would also be of benefit to provide these pockets on the side panels of a fitted bed sheet. It would further be of benefit to provide a wide variety of pocket types for various articles. It would additionally be of benefit to incorporate pocket types using gusseted sides and elastic rims so as to secure objects located within, all the while allowing the bed sheet profile to maintain as little external bulging as possible. It would also be of benefit to proved pockets where in the maximum usable space is available for item storage. Additionally, it would be of benefit to provide pockets designed so as to allow a user to access a specific pocket in a grouping of pockets from both a vertical or prone position.